


This Unruly Mess We've Made

by insomeniax



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angry Sex, Angst, Bottom Louis, Ex Lovers to Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Inspired by the tv show empire, Louis is gonna be a sassy teasing little shit, M/M, Mpreg Louis, Pregnant Louis, Top Harry, but ill leave warnings in the beginning, cause why not, i dont want to spoil too much, if you watched the tv show empire then you'd get what im aiming for, ill add more tags later, its mostly past mpreg but we'll see, no i do not ship haylor or lilo, taylor is here for a reason im sorry dont hate me, the end game is one hundred percent larry, theyre both little shits, though you dont have to watch that show in order to read this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2018-11-04 16:17:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10994484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insomeniax/pseuds/insomeniax
Summary: "I want my damn company back," Louis demanded as he sauntered over to Harry, his finger prodding at his chest with every word, "and I'm going to get it, no matter what."Harry’s gaze stayed on Louis’ figure as he took a sip of his drink. A small smirk played on his lips as he replied to Louis’ request."Just what makes you think that I would give up my whole company, this whole empire I’ve built up from scratch- just what makes you think I’d give everything up, to you?""You don't think I'd be able to take back what's mine?" Louis pressed, before he turned away and headed towards the door, adding an extra sway to his hips as he walked away."Just fucking watch me, Styles.”





	1. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> im @ insomeniax on tumblr if you guys ever just wanna shoot me a message or talk :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *EDITED* (please read :) )

“Order! Order in the courtroom!” the judge roared as he repeatedly struck his gavel against the soundblock. The people in the courtroom were all bustling with curiosity as the members of the jury were whispering amongst themselves as they tried to reach an agreement on the verdict for the trial.

 

Louis was standing there, stoic, with his lawyer standing just a few feet behind him as he watched the jury members.He was  hoping that they would all give the judge the answer he’d been hoping to hear after so many years. The judge began to speak once again, causing the whole courtroom to go still.

 

“Will the jury foreperson please stand and tell us if they have reached a unanimous verdict?” the judge commanded, his gruff voice sounding even louder than ever in the quiet courtroom. A member of the jury walked towards the stand, her four inch heels resonating through the room, and her gaze so hard that even the judge himself would feel intimidated. It seemed as if the whole courtroom went still as all of their attention remained solely on the jury foreperson.

 

Louis took a quick glance behind him at the members on jury duty behind him, hoping to see a familiar face but alas, there was no one there that he knew of.

 

He gave the representative his full attention as she began speaking, and kept his fingers on his left hand crossed as he paid attention to her.

 

“Yes we have, your honor.”

 

The clerk quickly walked over to the foreperson to write down the verdict before returning back to the judge. His eyes quickly roamed over the note before he went back to facing the courtroom once again. He gave a silent nod to the clerk who’s standing off to the side, allowing him to speak before he finally closed the trial.

 

“The jury has finds the defendant, Louis Tomlinson, _not guilty._ ”

 

The room immediately filled with murmurs, with a few people not believing that he was being let go after paying all this time in jail.  

 

Louis took in a sharp intake of breath as he felt tears brimming in his eyes, wanting desperately for them to go down. They were happy tears, of course. He was finally free after 17 years of spending wasted time in jail. He could finally go out and have fun and do whatever the hell he wanted to. He hadn’t felt this happy in such a long time, and he felt ready to just run out and go have a drink or two and just celebrate.

The judge banged his gavel twice more before he spoke again, “The jury is thanked and excused. Court is adjourned.”

 

He saw his lawyer pack his things before he walked over to where Louis was standing. “Mr. Tomlinson, it was a pleasure working with you. I’m glad that you’re finally able to go back to your family and friends now. If you ever need anything, here’s my card,” he said, pulling out a card from his briefcase that contained all of his information. “If I’m not able to speak at that moment, just tell my secretary who you are and I’ll make sure to get back to you.”

 

Louis took the card and raised his eyebrows at the word _secretary._ “Secretary, hm? I didn’t know that I was dealing with someone in such high regards.”

 

“Ah well,” he replied back, scratching his neck awkwardly as he wasn’t used to people complimenting him as such.

 

“Thank you for helping me on my case,” Louis said, “I really appreciate it.”

 

“Not a problem, Mr. Tomlinson. It is my job after all. Now, do you have a ride? I have a client to meet with soon but I can drop you off if you’d like,” the other man asked as he scrambled to gather his things and accompany Louis out of the courtroom.

 

“Actually,” he interjected, “I already have a ride. Thanks for offering though.”

 

Louis lied; he didn’t _actually_ have a ride. He didn’t even know where he would be staying after leaving the courtroom. Maybe he should just try to contact- no, he could do this. Louis was a strong and independant man who could do things on his own, and he _definitely_ didn’t need help from anyone other than himself.

 

He made his way out of the courtroom and stood on the sidewalk, waiting for a taxi to drive by and maybe drop him off to on of the nearest cheap hotels around. Now he’s regretting not taking a ride from his lawyer. He didn’t have a phone on him (he just got released from jail, cut him some slack), and contemplated walking around to look for a phone booth nearby when at that same moment, a red sports car pulled up next to him.

 

Louis wanted to avert his eyes from the shiny red car, but then the driver’s door opened and he had to hold in a small gasp because- was that his son? Last he saw, his baby boy was barely out of high school at just 18 years old. His hair was curly and unruly just like his father’s was, and his blue eyes were still as young and full of youth. He had a dimpled smile and a small button nose that you just couldn’t resist booping- it _was_ one of the most famous traits of his that he got from Louis anyway.

 

But the person standing in front of him; he was now a whole _man._ It was as if Harry made a replica of his younger self and added a few of Louis’ features to make Quinten. His hair was longer now, his arms more toned (from the gym, he presumed) and when he took off his sunglasses, his eyes were more blue than they were before. Louis couldn’t help the small gasp that came out of him as he was pulled into a hug by his son.

 

“Quin, baby, hi,” he gasped out. He couldn’t help the tears that started falling out as he wrapped his arms around his son and pulled him into what seemed like the tightest hug he could ever give.

 

“Ma… I missed you so damn much,” he said, pulling back to give Louis a once over before pulling him back into a hug again, “I just can’t believe this is really real, _holy crap._ ”

 

“You’re still on that?” Louis asked, referring to the nickname that his son just called him. He quickly wiped his tears before speaking again, “You’ve definitely grown in the time I haven’t seen you. Next thing I know, you’re gonna start having kids on me. I wouldn’t advise that though; I’m still too young to be called ‘Grandpa’.”

 

“Yeah yeah, sorry _Dad,_ ” Quinten replied with an eyeroll before going over to open the trunk to place Louis’ luggage, then made his way over to the passenger door to open for his father. “If it’s anything though, I’m not gonna be in a relationship for a while, _that_ I’m sure of. I’m _way_ too busy with work to be looking for someone to settle down with.”

 

“And what kind of job are we talking about, Mister?” Louis inquired as he entered the car strapped on his seatbelt, “You’re 21, shouldn’t you be worried about college and what-not?”  


“Yeah well, we all work with Pops, which is where we’re heading right now,” Quinten replied after he strapped on his seatbelt as well. He pushed his glasses back onto his head and turned on the car, the radio resonating softly through the car as he started driving.

 

“What exactly does your father do? You guys are all living comfortably, I hope?”

 

“Oh yeah, we’re definitely _more_ than comfortable,” Quinten said, looking at Louis briefly before his eyes made their way back to the road ahead. His dad will definitely be surprised at what was coming in store for him.

 

“Okay…” Louis said, sounding a bit hesitant at what his son said, “How did you even find me today? And who told you about my release?”  


“I have _connections_ , dad. Did you really think that I would miss out on this opportunity to see you again? I have a friend who has an internship at a law firm and overheard that there was a court session scheduled for today, and got me the info and well, here we are. Now, no more questions, I’ve got a big surprise for you,” he said, smiling as he saw his dad pout a bit and yeah, it was really great to have him back again. He just hoped that this time, his dad will stay for good.

 

* * *

 

“No way… _No fucking way!_ Is this the place where your father works? You’re telling me that he’s managed to build up a whole _record label_ during the time I’ve been gone?” Louis asked incredulously as they made their way through the glass doors that led to _Styles Records._ The whole place was large and bustling with people moving rapidly around them. He saw a few men in suits make their way out of what he presumed was a meeting room, each of them walking around with a briefcase in one hand and a cellphone in the other. The tiles on the floor looked like they were made from marble stone; white with gold and silver mixed in them. The logo was a golden “S” written in cursive, and there was one on each glass door that led into the building.

 

“Well Dad, 17 years is a long time.”

 

He rolled his eyes and ignored his son’s comment as he followed him to the elevators. They made their way over to the highest floor, and as the doors opened he noticed that there weren’t as many people here as there were on the main floor. Quinten made his way over to the receptionist, who was dressed in a white ruffled blouse and a black pencil skirt, and she smoothed her hands down her skirt as she saw him coming towards her.

 

“Hello, Mr. Styles. What can I do for you?” she asked kindly, her thin lips curving into a smile.

 

“Hello, Pam. I’m gonna be making my way over to my father’s office for a moment. I have a visitor with me, as you can see,” he gestured over to Louis who was too busy getting distracted by the large tv in the lounge to realize that Quinten had paused his conversation with the secretary. “We’ll be making our way now. Have a good day Pam.”

 

Quinten grabbed Louis’ wrist and they made their way over to Harry’s office. The door was a light grey, almost resembling white, and had the words “Styles” embellished on the front, all written in gold as well. Louis’ heart rate picked up at the thought of seeing Harry after _so long,_ but as Quinten opened the door and they made their way into the office, he saw that Harry wasn’t there. He let out a small breath, but wasn’t sure as to whether he was happy or disappointed at the the revelation.

 

The office was large and spacious, and there was a large glass window that covered the back wall of the room. He could see why Harry chose to have the window there- the view was _incredible_. It showed the large bustling streets of New York, and there were a few buildings and skyscrapers that stood in the distance. He was glad that there wasn’t any noise that was heard from the streets, as that could get annoying from time to time.

 

He didn’t notice the fond look on Quinten’s face as he watched his father standing in the middle of the room, just trying to process everything around him. He looked down at his watch for a moment before realizing that he was going to be late for a meeting he had in a few minutes. He walked over to his Dad and led him over to the chair at his other father’s desk, making sure that he was comfortably seated before he bent down to kiss his father’s cheek.

 

“I have to go now dad, I’m gonna be late for a meeting. I’ll come back in an hour or so to pick you up. See you later, I love you.”

 

Louis smiled when he heard what his son said. “I love you too, honey. Don’t worry about me, I’m probably going to fall asleep here since I have a feeling that your father is gonna be busy all day.” He saw that his son looked ready to protest and he waved him off, not wanting him to be late for his meeting, “It’s fine love, really. Go do your job.”

 

His son glanced at him one more time  before he made his way out of the office and closed the door shut.

 

* * *

 

 “Good morning, Mr. Styles,” Pam greeted as she saw Harry making his way towards her after getting off the elevator.

 

“Good morning, Pam. Did I receive any calls while I was at my meeting?” the green eyed man asked, getting straight to the point so that he would be able to get back to his office and finish all the work he needed to for the day.

 

“Yes sir. I forwarded them all to your messaging system, you’ll be able to listen to them in your office.”

 

“Thank you, Pam,” Harry replied, giving her a quick glance before glancing down at his phone to look at the pile of messages he was receiving. “Is that all?”

 

“Actually, sir. Quinten came over and had a visitor with him. They made their way over to your office- they didn’t say what for, but Quinten left a few minutes earlier. The guest is still in your office, sir.”  


“That’s odd,” he murmured to himself, before sighing at his son’s antics. It’s not everyday that he gets a visitor brought over to his personal office, but it usually ends up being a waste of time, if you ask him.

 

“Very well. Thanks again, I’ll be in my office for the rest of the day.” He saw Pam nod at him before going back to her work. Harry made his way to his office, balancing a large bullet coffee in one hand and a stack of papers in the other. He managed to open the door though, and as he made his way over to his desk, he saw his chair slowly turning from where it was, facing the large window in the back of the room. It was the person sitting in the chair that made Harry pause, because he definitely wasn’t prepared to see him again after all these years; 17 to be exact.

 

He stilled in his steps as he heard the blue eyed man speak, because it’s been _way_ too long and yet, there he was, sitting at Harry’s desk, right where he should’ve been all those years ago.

 

“Hello, Harry,” he spoke, breaking the silence that resonated through the room for what felt like forever. It was plain as day to see that neither of them were ready to speak to one another after so many years apart.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long wait guys, i've been very busy and lazy, but im back and ive updated the first few chapters because they didn't really suit my liking, so hopefully you guys like the way they turned out :)


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's chapter two, hopefully you enjoyed :)

Moments passed, and neither of them wanted to break the silence that stretched on for what felt like hours, but was merely only a few minutes. Harry shook his head before taking a few steps towards the small table near his desk and placed down all the items he had in his arms. He took a brief glance at Louis again and gave out a small chuckle before he picked up his coffee and took a large sip from the drink. 

 

He had his one arm crossed below his chest, with his other arm sitting atop, his hand only coming up to pinch his bottom lip between his pointer finger and thumb. To Louis, it would seem as if Harry hadn’t acknowledged that he was there, but that wasn’t the case. He felt Louis’ eyes on him, and he knew he should at least  _ do something _ about the situation at hand, but he was just too stubborn to initiate anything first.  

 

“I should expect this from you,” Louis spoke, his voice diminishing the silence that stretched between them for far too long. He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms as he studied Harry, looking at the man’s tense shoulders as he stood in the same position he’s been, his gaze unmoving from the desk that Louis was sitting behind. “You always act like a damn kid when you have to deal with confrontation.”

 

Harry’s eyes cut into slits as he stared at the black surface of his desk, not being used to hearing Louis’ soft voice after a whole 17 years apart. There was a slight roughness to his voice, but he would be able to recognize Louis anywhere. He dropped his hand from his lip and kept his arms crossed before he lifted his gaze and finally looked at the face of the man who he once called his lover.

 

“What the hell are you doing here,  _ Louis _ ?” he asked, his tone laced with a tinge of anger.

 

Louis closed his eyes at the sound of his name coming out of Harry’s mouth, and new that the other man would notice. All those years and yet, Harry  _ was still _ able to impact him for the small things he did.

 

“Aren’t you happy to have me back? I thought you would be,” Louis added with a fake pout.

 

Harry scoffed at that. “Cut the bullshit, Louis. You know damn well that I was done with you the second those divorce papers were signed. Don’t try to come back into our lives as if you didn’t walk out on us before.”   
  


Louis pretended that Harry’s words didn’t hurt him one bit, but they definitely stung like hell.

 

“You knew why I fucking left, Harry,” he seethed.

 

“And I don’t want to hear it. Now, I’ll ask again; why the fuck are you here, Louis?”

“I’m here to take back what’s mine, of course.”

 

“ _ Take back what’s yours?”  _ he repeated. “I think you misread the signs when you walked in. This record label is called  _ Styles Records  _ for a reason.  _ I’m  _ the only person that owns this whole place, not you. I worked my ass off to get where I am today while you wasted 17 years rotting in your damn jail cell. Don’t try to come in and act like everything between us is all fine and dandy,” Harry spat out, his tone sounding angrier by the minute. 

 

Louis took a brief moment to take in the appearance of his ex husband. His hair was pulled into a perfect bun, which he was surprised by the fact that he actually grew it out instead of keeping it in the short and curly mess that it was before. His face was older; more mature than it had been before. He was more tense, and an air of authority surrounding him that wasn’t there when he was younger. 

 

“You don’t look very happy to see me, which is  _ such _ a shame. I’m always fun to have around,” Louis whispered as his hand reached towards Harry’s face to caress his cheek. He felt a bit of stubble as he softly traced his fingers up and down, just like he used to whenever Harry was angry. He saw the other man still for a moment, before he abruptly moved away from Louis’ hand. The shorter man frowned when he saw Harry reject his touch, but it was gone as soon as it came. 

 

Harry’s eyebrows were still furrowed, and he had his lips tightly pursed. He figured that Harry was used to frowning a lot, seeing at he had many lines on his forehead whenever his eyebrows furrowed. 

 

“You know,” Louis spoke, breaking the silence, “you were always one to get mad over the smallest things. I guess some things just never change.”

 

“Yes, and you were always one to have the flair for dramatics,” Harry retorted. 

 

“It usually got me what I wanted, don’t you agree?” Louis added with a wink. “Now, enough chit-chat. I want my office, Harry.”

 

“It’s funny how you think that you’ll be dealing with anything pertaining to this company. You, getting your own office? That’s not gonna happen.”

 

“Oh Harry, dear. You’re sadly mistaken if you think that I’m not gonna try to take reign of this company, one that we both started together. It just wouldn’t be fair on my part to let you take over everything on your own, now would it?” Louis added with a fake pout as he got out of the chair and stretched his arms over his head, his shirt rising a bit as his back arched.

 

“As I said before, you’re not going to be associated whatsoever with this company. I already have a CEO here. I’ll introduce you to her later on, and maybe she could give you a few tips on how to manage an  _ actual  _ company.”

 

Louis strided towards where Harry stood and gave him a look as he adjusted his collar and tie. 

 

“I don’t think she compares to what I’m capable of, love.”

 

“She definitely knows what she’s doing when she’s working, which is why we’re perfectly fine off without you.”

 

Louis stopped fiddling with Harry’s collar and took a step back, looking him square in the face.

 

“I’m supposed to be the CEO of this place, not some random bi-”

 

“Watch your tone,” Harry warned, buttoning up his shirt midway after he deemed his tie presentable enough. 

 

Louis’ jaw clenched at that.

 

_ ‘Who the fuck does he think he is, telling me what to do as if he owned me or some shit. I’ll show him who’s the boss of this place, and it’s definitely not going to be him,’ _ he thought as he watched the green eyed man fix his button up. 

 

“I think we’re done here for today, Styles. Quin is gonna come back from his meeting soon and I don’t want him thinking that we already started off on the wrong foot. When I come back tomorrow, you better have an office cleared out and ready for me to move in. You know I don’t take no for an answer,” Louis said, giving the green eyed man a look that showed just how serious he was being. 

 

And with that, Louis walked out of Harry’s office and into lounge, already tired from his encounter with his ex lover, but had a feeling that it would only get worse from here. 

 


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edited, enjoy x also, i do read every comment and i appreciate every kudo so thank you so much to anyone who's read this and left a comment or kudos :')

The next morning, Louis was up bright and early and was ready to start the day. He spent the night over at Quinten’s home, which was a nice studio apartment that wasn’t too far away from the label’s office. He went over to the kitchen and thought he might as well make breakfast for his son as a small thank you for letting him stay over (and also because he was very hungry).

 

He placed the pan on the stove and turned it on, and added a few strips of bacon. His mind wandered over to his company (which yes, he was still calling it _his_ company because, well, it most definitely was his) and he wondered just how many recording artists they’ve already signed. The number has definitely increased as time passed, which was no wonder why Harry was so rich and successful.

 

Louis didn’t notice that he overcooked his bacon until the smoke detector went off and the kitchen was filled with grey smoke. He quickly turned the stove off and ran to the sink with the pan and ran it under the faucet water. He ran back into the living room and grabbed the nearest thing he could find (a discarded shirt of Quin’s) so that he could fan away most of the smoke and so that he could hopefully quiet down the smoke detectors and not wake his son. Of course, he wasn’t able to accomplish that since at that moment, he saw his son run out into the living room with his face etched both confusion and panic.

 

“Dad, what the hell?” he asked, scrambling over to the windows and opening them up to get all of the smoke out of his apartment. Louis waited until the smoke detectors stopped beeping before he looked over at his son.

 

“Sorry?” he said with a sheepish smile. “I tried to make you breakfast and well… it didn’t turn out as well as I expected it to.”

 

“Thanks dad,” Quinten replied with a small chuckle, “but maybe next time, we can cook together? Or I can make breakfast instead, since we all know that you’re a little clumsy in the kitchen.”

 

Louis playfully shoved his son’s shoulder at that. “Oh, hush. I cooked for you and your siblings all the time and I didn’t hear you guys complaining.”

 

“We were just being nice, Ma. I mean, your cooking wasn’t _horrible_ per say…”

 

“Yeah, yeah, just get your butt in the kitchen and make me some breakfast. And stop with that nickname,” he added with an eyeroll.

 

“It’s way too early to being arguing with you,” Quinten mumbled as he playfully rolled his eyes and made his way into the kitchen.

 

“You wanna say that a little louder again?” Louis tested as he took a few steps towards the couch and fiddled with the remote on the coffee table to get the TV on.

 

“No sir!” he heard his son shout back from where he was in the kitchen. Louis couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at that because _‘Yep,’_ he thought, _‘I still got it.’_

 

* * *

 

“Where exactly did you say we were going again? And why did you ask me to pack all my clothes? Don’t like havin’ your dad around now since you’re all grown, huh? Well guess what, you’re still my little baby Quin-Quin,” Louis teased as he reached his arm over to pinch his son’s cheek, receiving a small blush from him in return.

 

“Dad please,” Quinten chided. After all these years, he still wasn’t used to having his father playfully tease him like he did now. He couldn’t help but smile though, he really did miss his dad.

 

They soon reached a gate that led to a large mansion, bigger than any home Louis’ ever been close to before. He mentally rolls his eyes at himself, more at the fact that he couldn’t visit any homes since he’s been in jail for so long.

 

They both unbuckled their seatbelts and Quinten grabbed his luggage from the trunk (he’s so glad that his children were raised with manners), following his dad close behind as they walk towards the mansion. Once they reached it, Quinten pulled out his keys and unlocked the door for them. There was a short hallway that led to an opening that showed the grand living room, and when he reached it he nearly gasped.

 

The room was a beautiful pearl white, with soft grey sofas and blue pillows that added a pop of colour to it. There was a large chandelier that hung from the center of the ceiling, and random paintings were scattered in the room, the nearest one showing a picture of a rose whose petals were wilting. Needless to say, this mansion absolutely beautiful.

 

The structure of the room wasn’t what made Louis’ eyes well with tears though. It was the fact that on one of the sofas, Harry was sitting there with two people on each of his side. As Louis inched closer, he saw that the person waiting patiently on Harry’s left was a young woman with brunette hair that was pulled into a ponytail, and light blue eyes. She had a white long sleeve button up shirt on that had random designs of pineapples scattered all over it, paired with black skinny jeans and a pair of white ballet flats. On the other side, there was a teenage boy who's dark brown hair fell over his eyes as he played around with his cellphone. He had a navy blue sweatshirt on, paired with black skinny jeans and blue vans. The boy looked like he'd rather be anywhere else but here. Harry was leaning against the sofa in the middle, quietly talking to the young lady sitting beside him.

 

Louis closed his eyes for a moment and pinched himself just to make sure that he wasn’t dreaming. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, reaching behind him to grab Quinten’s arm as they walked into the living room. All eyes fell on him and Quinten as their footsteps neared, which caused Harry and the other two to stand up from their seats.

 

“Hi,” he breathed out, squeezing Quinten’s arm one more time, steering himself before he finally dropped it and left his hand at his side.

 

“Louis, glad you could make it,” Harry stepped forward, “I’m sure you already know who these two people standing beside me are, but I’m going to introduce them to you anyway. Adrianna, Greyson, this is your other father, Louis.”

 

Harry barely finished his sentence before Adrianna nearly ran over to her Dad with tears in her eyes. It was a bittersweet moment for all of them, and especially for Louis who felt ready to cry tears of joy, and was proud of the fact that he was able to reunite with his kids after so many years apart.

 

“Hi baby,” Louis gasped out, his throat feeling tight from the sob he was just about ready to give in to. He willed his tears down though, and comforted his daughter as she cried in his arms.

 

“Dad, I- oh my God. Y-You’re actually here! I missed you so much oh my God,” Adrianna sputtered.

 

“Take a deep breath love, you’re stuttering. Calm down, I’m not going anywhere,” Louis said, trying his hardest to get his daughter to stop crying and to reassure her that he was determined to never leave them again. He took a small step back to look her over and used the pads of his thumbs to wipe the tears off of her face. He pressed a reassuring kiss to her forehead and hugged her tightly once more before he stepped away and went over to his youngest son. As he went in for a hug though, Greyson stuck out his hand to give Louis a handshake.

 

“Hello um, Louis,” he awkwardly said. Louis didn’t know if he was hurt or stunned at the fact that his son was treating him like a mere stranger.

 

Harry pulled him off to the side for a moment to speak with him.

 

“You shouldn’t look so surprised. Greyson was only 1 when you went to jail, don’t expect him to just remember you after spending so little time with you.”

 

Louis nodded his head and gave the other man a strained smile. “Right, right. Of course, I mean, I totally understand.”

 

He went back to where his son was standing, who went back to his phone while his parents were talking. “Well, Greyson, I’m your other father. It’s nice to finally see you again,” he breathed out, biting his bottom lip as he willed his tears to go down. All his son did in return was nod his head and went to stand next to Harry instead. Quinten walked over to Louis and pulled him into a hug as well, because he knew his father needed a bit of reassurance now and then.

 

“We’re all really glad you’re home dad,” he murmured into his father’s neck. Although he had a few inches on Louis, moments like these made him feel like he was still a kid again. “By the way, did Pops ever tell you about the surprise?”

 

“What surprise?” Louis eyebrows furrowed.

 

“Well,” he stepped back, spreading his arms out, “this is going to be your new home! We really hope you like it because we worked really hard to fix it up for you. And by we I mean the paid construction workers and I. These two just sat back and _watched_.”

 

“This- this is mine? How did yo-?”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Harry interjected, “it was my second home originally, but I thought I’d might as well just give it to you so that you’d have a place to stay in. I barely use it anyway, so it’s all yours to keep,” he shrugged

 

“You never lost that kind heart of yours,”  
he whispered, locking eyes with Harry as he spoke to him. “Thank You.”

 

The other man gave him a short nod, which showed that he acknowledged Louis’ sincerity, but didn't want to say anything in response.

  
“Now that you shared your little reunions, I have to drop Grey off to a friend’s place, and then AJ, Quin, and I have to be back at the office. I’m sure you’ll be able to situate yourself, yes?” he distractedly asked while he got his things ready to go.

 

“Yeah, you guys do your thing, don’t worry about me. I won’t be coming over today, but I expect to see that office by tomorrow, Styles. I still stand by my word.”

  
  
“And I still stand by mine as well,” he huffed out. “I’ll be in my car. Goodbye Louis,” he said before walking away from the living room.

 

“Goodbye Harry! See you tomorrow, bright and early like old times, right darling?” he asked, his tone laced with sarcasm.

 

“Bastard,” Harry muttered to himself before he walked out the door, separating himself from the inside of the mansion walls.

 

“I should probably get going as well,” Greyson awkwardly said, making his way towards the exit. “Goodbye, Louis,” he waved.

 

His kids left his new home, neither of them leaving without giving Louis a large hug and a kiss on the cheek. As the door finally shut, he practically threw himself on the sofa as he lay there, thinking about how much it hurt that his youngest son wasn’t comfortable around him. He just hoped that someday, his relationship with his will turn out better than it was at that moment.


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am,,, sososo sorry for the long wait, ive been busy with personal things and also lost motivation for a bit, but a good friend of mine helped me get back up with this. this is a long-ish chapter, as an apology for the long wait. hopefully you enjoy x

The air cooled around them as the sun went down, the sky only portraying colours of red and orange shades. Harry and Greyson were currently on the rooftop of his company’s building, the air around them enveloped in complete silence, save for the sound of cars driving and beeping in the distance.

 

Harry was leaning against the railing, his eyes roaming the many buildings that filled the New York streets, taking a deep intake of the smoke from his cigarette and keeping the nicotine in his lungs for a few seconds, before finally exhaling the smoke through his nose.

 

He took a sideways glance at his son who was standing right beside him, his thumbs frantically typing away at his phone. His tongue was slightly poking out of his mouth as all his focus remained on the device clutched tightly in his hands.

 

“How do you feel about your dad being here?” he asked, his gaze unfaltering from the view that lied straight ahead. He took another puff of his smoke as he felt his son move beside him.

 

“I don't know what you want me to say,” he shrugged, putting his phone in his back pocket and crossed his arms on the railing as support while he leaned against it.

 

“I saw the way you were acting around him when you met him a few days ago. You were acting like how you always do whenever you’re meeting a stranger for the first time,” Harry responded.

 

Greyson ran a single hand through his messy dark brown hair as he focused on the cars below. He felt a pang of frustration in his chest after hearing what Harry said. He wouldn’t expect his father to understand anything he was going to say, so he didn’t see the point of this conversation. He went along with it though, because he knew it’s been a while since him and his father had one of those heart to heart conversations.

 

“He's not my father though,” he said indifferently, “he never was, and never has been.”

 

“How do you think you were brought into this world, huh?” Harry asked, chuckling. “The storks didn't fly you to our door all those years back, you know?”

 

“Dad, you can't really expect me to be comfortable around a man I’m just finally getting to meet after being away for, what, ninety-nine percent of my life? Be honest, you weren't even happy to see that he was back again,” he said, looking at his father who surprisingly met his gaze. That was, until he turned his head forward again and snuffed out his cigarette.

 

“He is a difficult man to deal with,” Harry sighed. “It's funny how time can change you, you know. As a child, you never wanted to be around me. You would always cry whenever Louis handed you over to me if he wanted me to watch you while he was using the bathroom or sleeping or whatever he was dealing with. But hearing you now, saying that you don't see him as your own father, well, it seems as if those memories were part of my imagination.”

 

“It’s different though; I was a baby when he was around, how could I possibly dislike my own parent at such a young age?”

 

“That's contradictory of you, saying that you wouldn't dislike your own parent at a young age. Look at you now; seventeen years old and already disliking one of your own parents. I know your birthday's coming up, and eighteen is gonna be a big step for you but right now, you're a kid. You're still young and you're already hating on your other parent, one that you've barely met, by the way. I'm not saying you should give him a chance, but don't speak too soon on situations you're just getting to deal with.”

 

“I’ve been through enough situations to know that there will never be a day where you'd hear me calling Louis ‘My Dad’,” he huffed out.

 

“I’m not disagreeing, but watch your tone,” Harry stated, placing another cigarette in his mouth as his he took his lighter out of his pocket. “After that divorce and all the things that went down, mark my words when I say that you will _never_ see me calling Louis my husband again,” he said, lighting up his cigarette and taking a deep puff from it. “That's a promise.”

 

It was silent for a while until Greyson finally revealed the one thing that’s been on his mind for some time now.

 

“Dad...” Greyson started hesitantly, “You’ve been smoking a lot lately. I know you get pissed off whenever someone talks to you about it, but you've never gone over ten in a day…”

 

“What can I say,” he chuckled, his shoulders shaking alongside his small laughter, “I’m stressed out. With everything happening with the company and with you guys… I haven’t had the time to sit down.”

 

Greyson wasn’t so surprised at that. Although he didn't necessarily show it on his face, internally, he was wondering why his father decided to reveal all of this information to him. It wasn't usual that he'd speak about his problems, seeing as he was a regularly closed off man, but he would be lying to himself if he said that he didn't appreciate these rare occasions that he'd get to share with his busy father.

 

“But… there's other ways to relieve your stress. I don't want you to get sick from all that smoke you're putting in your body,” Greyson said. Of course, his tone had a hint of sadness in it, but it was expected since he cared too much about his father, and only wanted the best for him. He didn't even want to think about what would happened if he continued on the same road he was taking now.

 

“I’m fine,” Harry gritted out, wanting the conversation to be done with.

 

“Dad…,” Greyson went on to add again, but Harry wasn’t having any of it.

 

“ _I’m fine, Greyson,_ ” he snapped once more, a bit too harshly. He saw how his son slightly flinched at Harry’s harsh tone, which he undoubtedly regret using, seeing as Greyson didn’t seem to want to say anything more.

 

“You worry too much,” Harry said, easing his tone as he swung his arm around his son’s shoulders and bringing him closer to his side, as his other arm come over to mess with his hair. There was a small grin on his lips as he teased his son, his cigarette hanging from his teeth as he saw the slight look of irritation on his son's face.

 

“Okay, okay,” Greyson grumbled, playfully fighting off Harry's hands before fixing his mussed up hair. “I’m gonna go back inside and pack my things to go home. I’ll meet you in the car, Dad,” he said, making his way back after seeing his dad’s slight nod, showing that he had acknowledged his son’s words.

 

Harry didn't do for a while, just finished off his cigarette as his eyes focused on the darkening hues in the sky, thinking about what exactly he'd have to do now that Louis was back. It was true that he'd have to give up his company to someone as time was dwindling down, but it'd be a miracle if Louis had the ability to change his mind, seeing as the blue eyed man was so adamant about getting ‘his company’ back. _“There's no way…”_ Harry thought. _“Over my dead body.”_

 

* * *

 

It's been a week since Louis’ arrival from jail, and he’s been holding off the urge to walk up to Harry’s office and demand him to give him his own office. He knew that the other man was trying to keep him away for as long as possible, but Louis wouldn’t allow it. The moment Quinten came to visit him again, he was gonna make sure that his son would take him back to ‘ _Styles Records’_ and he was going to get that office of his no matter what, and not even Harry Styles himself would stop him.

 

Louis was laying down on his couch, lazily flipping through the channels on his brand new flat screen tv, before he finally found a channel that was somewhat interesting to him. He didn’t pay much attention to what was happening on the screen, and instead thought about all the things he needed to purchase for his home to make it feel more lived-in. He had wifi so far, but no phone or laptop that he could use it on. He also needed to go out for groceries since his refrigerator was practically bare. He also needed to find someway to get his driver’s license since he couldn’t rely on his children forever, or at least hire a chauffeur that would be able to take him wherever…

 

His thoughts were cut off by the sound of his door getting unlocked, followed by a  “Dad, are you home?” and footsteps accompanying along. He figured that it was Quinten coming to check up on him, and his thoughts payed out right when he saw his son coming towards him, with a bag of groceries held in one of his hands.

 

Quinten had a pair of black sunglasses perched on the top his head, and was wearing a black pullover hoodie with some denim jeans to go along, with his feet clad in a pair of plain black vans, although he took them off at the door and was left with his white ankle socks. Louis on the other hand was adorned in a soft, cashmere grey sweater paired with black skinny jeans, and blue fluffy socks since his air conditioning was turned on so high.

 

“Hey love, what’s all this for?” Louis asked, gesturing towards the groceries in his son’s hands.

 

“Well, I figured that you’d need some groceries since there wasn’t much in your fridge the last time I was here,” he shrugged.

 

“Thank you hun,” Louis responded with a fond smile. It was times like these that had him bursting with pride because he was so grateful for these amazing people he was able to call his children.

 

“No problem, honestly,” Quinten waved him off, “I’m gonna go place these in the kitchen then I’ll be back.”

 

He watched tv for a few minutes as he let his son put away the groceries he bought, and his stomach started to growl just as his son came back from the kitchen.

 

“Should we order out? It’s getting late and I don’t think you had much to eat today,” Quinten suggested, moving over to sit on the couch next to his father’s.

 

“I’m fine with whatever, love,” he responded.

 

After he ordered two large pizzas, Quinten and his dad spent the next hour watching a film together, until the door rang and Quinten rose up to go pay for the pizzas.

 

“We really need to get you some things Dad,” he said as he walked back into the living room with two pizza boxes in his hand. “Like a phone for starters, I’ll order one for you right now.”

 

“Hun, please, that’s too much. You’ve already helped me settle into this mansion, and you brought me food and groceries, _and_ you bought me clothes- that’s way more than I could ask for,” Louis resisted.

 

“Dad please, just let me do this for you. It’s been a while since you’ve been out and living in the real world and times have changed. I can’t let you sit around and just watch you do things on your own without helping you. Pops isn’t even doing anything to help you out, all he did was give you this home, and then what? Leave you here with no food, clothes, or any source of entertainment? That’s not how you fucking treat the father of your kids after seventeen years of them being in jail,” he said, feeling a twinge of anger in his chest after the end of his rant.

 

“Stop that,” Louis scolded, taking a bite out of his slice of pizza before continuing, “Your father has done enough. Even though he’s been a bit of a dickhead lately, he gave me a place to stay and that’s more than I could ask for. And don’t speak like I’m incapable of doing anything, young man. I’m perfectly capable of handling my own shit without help from others.”

 

“Even if Pops didn’t give you this mansion, Adrianna and I wouldn’t mind if you stayed with us. He’s not treating you how you should be treated and I fucking hate it because he doesn’t act that way around us.”

 

“I know you’ve seen the way Harry acts around me. I know he’s not happy with me being back, and he has his own reasons for that,” he sighed. “I just hope you guys know that I don’t plan on leaving again any time soon.”

 

“We know that dad. Trust me, we do.”

 

“I don’t want you turning on your father now just because he’s not doing the certain things you want him doing. He’s just looking out for you guys; I’m practically a stranger after all,” Louis said, his tone impassive.

 

“Dad,” Quinten growled.

 

“Watch your tone, Quin,” Louis scolded once again.

 

“You’re not a stranger dad; not at all. But if you put yourself in Pops’ shoes and just see why he’s acting the way he is- I mean, you were in jail for almost two decades, leaving him alone with three kids to take care of, and having to watch them grow up around only one parent. It’s no wonder he’s acting the way he is.” He knew he was having difficulty with putting his point across to Louis. Quinten loved both of his fathers- he really did. But he also wanted them to realize that there was no pick and choose with who was the better parent since they both were at fault. He just hoped that they figured out their differences soon, because he didn’t want his parents going against each other, no matter what.

 

“Maybe if he put himself in my shoes and stop acting like a jackass then I wouldn’t have to be talking about this with you. I had to spend all of those years in jail while he was here enjoying every moment he could with you guys. I missed out on the birthday parties, the school events; I couldn’t even take care of you guys when you were sick. He’s had his chance with you kids, and I’m trying my damn hardest to get my chance back,” Louis’ voice wavered, hoping desperately that Quinten didn’t notice the tears he was trying to wipe off his face. He always hated crying in front of people.

 

“Dad…” Quinten reluctantly said, opening his arms to bring his father into a hug. “Please don’t cry. It breaks my heart seeing you like this. You’re our father, that’s one thing that will never change. Greyson is just being stubborn right now, but I promise he’ll come around soon. Same with Pops,” he said, trying his hardest to comfort his father. He felt a bit helpless since he’s never seen his dad cry in front of him. He figured that Louis was really hurting inside, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

 

“I’m okay, love,” Louis said, reaching up to kiss his son’s forehead as a way of saying ‘Thank You.' “We should finish up eating now before the food gets too cold,” he quietly chuckled.

 

He saw his son nod and after eating, they laid down on the couches and talked about Quinten as a kid, from the way he loved soaking his pancakes with syrup (which he still did), to always wanting to help his parents cook in the kitchen, which would always end up in a big mess.

 

From that point on, Louis promised himself that he was going to do his best at being the father his kids deserved from day one. It’s been too long and he was ready for the change to happen, no matter how long it would take. He was going to try his absolute best.

 

* * *

 

“Knock knock,” Quinten greeted as he entered through Louis’ front door the next morning with his sister in tow. He put a finger on his lips, making sure they were both quiet as they made their way towards the large staircase that led upstairs. “Dad, are you up? Your phone just came in and I’ve already set it up for you, if you want to see,” he shouted towards Louis’ bedroom.

 

“Yeah hun, just give me a moment!” he heard Louis shout back. The siblings both grinned at each other at the same time as they walked into the large living room and sat on the couch, patiently waiting for their father to come down. There wasn’t anything they had planned in particular, Quinten thought that it would’ve been a good idea to have his sister and his dad hang out for a bit before they went to work, since he’s been taking up a lot of time with Louis lately.

 

“Well, well, well, look who finally decided to show up,” Louis grinned, walking towards his daughter with open arms. “How are you, darling?”

 

“Hey Dad,” Adrianna smiled, a small blush colouring her cheeks red, “I’m so sorry I couldn’t come visit earlier, I was so caught up with work-”

 

“Hey, don’t apologize, love. I was just messing around,” he smiled before moving towards his son to give him a hug. “So, how about that new phone?” he teased.

 

They all spent the next hour sitting on the sofa, getting Louis situated with his phone, him being slightly entranced by the fact that touch screen cellphones now existed.

 

“Okay Dad, we’ve gotta go now. We’ve got work today but I thought it would’ve been nice if Adrianna came along and visited,” Quinten said, getting up from the sofa.

 

“Oh wait, are you guys going to the record label? Give me a moment, I want to come too,” Louis interjected, already moving back towards his bedroom to fetch his shoes since he was already dressed for the day.

 

The two siblings gave each other a knowing glance, both of them already preparing themselves for the ruckus that their father was bound to create in just a few moments. Although they hadn’t seen anything yet, they knew Louis and knew how stubborn he’d get whenever he didn’t have something going his way, and they could already tell that the day was going to be _somewhat_ interesting. Maybe.

 

* * *

 

“Hello Pam, how are you?” Quinten greeted as he walked into the first floor with his father, once again. His sister stayed on the main floor where she handled the business managements and meetings.

 

“Good Morning Mr. Styles,” she greeted, smoothing her hair back as she felt loose strands fly away from the low bun she sported that day. “Are you on your way to your father’s office? He’s currently in a meeting though, would you like to come back another time?”

“No, no, that’s okay. I’m just here to drop off my guest here,” he said, gesturing towards Louis who was skeptically looking at Pam. He wanted to say something to Quinten about her, but another time, he supposes. “I’m running a little late though, so I’ll just have him sit here at the lounge and watch tv for a bit, if you don’t mind.”

 

Louis’ eyebrows rose. His son was basically sending him off to be watched, as if he were a child who needed a babysitter while the parent went off to do whatever they desired during their time away. He would’ve said something, had it not been for the fact that his son started walking away after his brief conversation with the receptionist.

 

“Have a great day, hun!” Louis waved, making his way over to one of the soft sofas in ‘the lounge’, as they called it.

 

He was only there for a mere thirty minutes, making it through an episode of one of those random cooking shows, but he was growing more and more uninterested with the television as every minute passed. He looked up and saw the receptionist typing away at her computer, and figured that he might as brush up on his conversation skills while he was at it. To be fair, the only people he’s really spoken to in the last week were Harry and his kids.

 

“Hey, you there,” he said, making his way over to her. “Pam, right?”

“Yes, sir,” she hesitantly responded.

 

“What can you tell me about Harry’s job? Other than the fact that he owns this whole thing,” he practically scoffed.

 

“W-well, Mr. Styles does produce and manage many artists, all who have turned out very successful while working with him” she stuttered. This man intimidated her, and she had no reason why. Even Harry himself didn’t intimidate her, and although he was a very intimidating man, it was partially due to the fact that she’s been working with Harry long enough that she became used to his superior aura.

 

“Well isn’t he just a pleasant man,” he mimicked, already not liking the sound of Harry being praised. “Say,” he started, placing his chin on his hand as he leaned his arm against her desk, “you wouldn’t know if Harry has any empty offices around, now would you?” he inquired, sounding more eager than he had in the past hour.

 

“Not that I know of, why?” she asked, her tone questioning.

 

Louis only shrugged, a small smirk playing on his lips as he walked away, passing Pam and ignoring her insistent calls while he made his way around the first floor. He peered into each room and wondered which one he would deem suitable enough for himself. He finally made it to an office that wasn’t too far away from Harry’s, and as he opened the door he saw a woman who seemed to be in her early thirties, eating away at her sandwich as her eyes focused on the video playing on her laptop. Louis didn’t know or care for who she was, all he knew was that he wanted this office, and he was going to make it his.

 

“You there,” he said, causing her to slightly jump in her seat as she didn’t realize that there was someone else in the room with her, “I need you to get out. Come on now, we don’t have all day, chop chop,” he urged, repeatedly snapping his fingers when he saw her gaze upon his.

 

“Just who the hell are _you_?” she snapped, wondering why this random man was suddenly throwing her out of her own office.

 

“I own this place,” he rolled his eyes as he placed his hands on his hips. “ _You,_ on the other hand, are in my office. And I want you out.”

 

“Who the hell do you think you are, coming into my office and claiming that you own this place, as if we didn’t know who the _actual_ owner was. Do you think I’m stupid or something?”

 

Louis’ nostrils flared and his hands gripped his waist a bit more tighter after hearing the woman’s obnoxious speaking. The faster she got out, the easier things would be for the both of them. Well, more for him really. But he guessed he’d have to take things up just a notch, which was totally fine for him, by the way.

 

“Ah, I see. You’re one of those people,” he nodded, walking around her office before sitting on the woman’s desk, closing her laptop so that her full focus was on him. “You like him, don’t you?” he provoked, waiting to get something out of her.

 

“L-like who?” she blushed, although it was obvious that they both knew who Louis was talking about.

 

“Harry, of course. But seeing that blush on your face, anyone could tell,” he said, beginning to taunt her. “Let me let you in on a little secret,” he said, moving his face just slightly closer to hers, “He’s really not that great, once you get him on your bed. We all know he has a big package, but he’s lacking on the skill love. If you wanna find a _real_ man, then I suggest you start looking somewhere else-” he said, his words dying in his throat after hearing the sound of someone clearing their throat, and after turning around he found out that that someone was Harry.

 

“Louis,” he said, his voice sounding so deep that it nearly sent shivers down Louis’ back.

 

“Harry,” he said, smiling sweetly as he made his way over to the green eyed man. “We were just talking about what a _great_ person you are. Seems to me like we got someone who has a little crush on you,” he snickered.

 

“Why are you bothering my employees, Louis? You have no business here,” he glared.

 

“That’s where you’re wrong, Styles. You see, _all_ of my business lies here, Harry. I don’t know why you can’t see that already.”

 

“We’re sorry for ruining your break time, Mandy,” Harry sighed at the woman, who blushed when she heard Harry say her name. Leave it up to Louis to start bombarding his workers after not getting what he wanted. Harry could already feel the need to release his stress rising even more now. “You,” he pointed towards Louis. “Follow me. Now.”

 

“I’m not sorry,” Louis mumbled, crossing his arms  as he followed Harry, making sure to note the directions towards Mandy’s office for future reference.

 

“I don’t know why you always take matters into your own hands, as if that would be helping anyone,” Harry began, pausing as they stopped at a door that was also close to Harry’s office. Louis saw the other man unlock the door using a key, and stepped inside behind Harry as he turned on the light to reveal- a barely furnished room.

 

“Here’s your fucking office. Make good use of it, and I don’t want to hear you bothering anyone again because this,” he said, gesturing at the room, “is all yours. Understood?”

 

“Don’t talk to me like I’m a damn child, Styles,” Louis glared behind him before walking towards the rolling chair that was placed under the small desk.

 

“I might as well, since that’s how you act like,” he reproached.

 

Louis ignored the other man’s words and leaned against the chair he sat in. “Now, for furnishing,” he began, perching his legs up on the desk, with his arms crossed behind his head, “How ‘bout ‘Louis Tomlinson; CEO’? Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?” he winked.

 

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Harry said, rolling his eyes.

 

“You can get out of my office now,” Louis said. “I just love that sound rolling off my tongue, don’t you? _My office._ Thanks, Styles.”

  
Harry knew the difference between a playful Louis, and a genuine Louis, and this Louis was being genuine. He had a feeling that it was way too soon for Louis to even have any rights to anything in this company, but Harry was growing tired of the blue- eyed man’s repeated talks about having his own office, so he finally put matters into his own hands and gave him one. He didn’t think that Louis was going to try to throw out one of his best employees for it, but he was glad he came right on time.

As for Louis, Harry just hoped that the shorter man would be able to at least get his shit together if he even thought about trying to work with him. That meant being professional, and not barging into people’s offices whenever he felt like. _“He’d better,” Harry thought. “Or else there’s no way I’m letting that bastard step foot in this building ever again.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp, there was chapter 4. i'll come back to edit this later (no, it wont be a rewrite. i'll just be fixing the minor typos and whatnot). im also very tired because i stayed up late for the past three days working on this, so im sorry if some things don't make sense. im gonna try coming out with longer chapters after this x


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all are amazing??? pulled an all nighter for you guys, hope you enjoy :')
> 
> ALSO: an A&R stands for "Artist & Repertoire", it's basically the person who's in charge of managing the singers that get signed to the label and they scout the artists and whatnot, hopefully that makes enough sense.

“It's missing something,” Harry mumbled to himself, his eyebrows furrowing as he listened to the sound of a strained voice flow through the speakers. “It's not enough.”

 

He was in the studio with one of America’s biggest music producers, who was also one of his closest friends, Niall Horan. They've been in the studio for over three hours, working on and producing music for the debut album of one Harry's newest rising stars, save for the fact that they were on the last song, which was also the saddest song, but his recording artist was not giving him the same powerful voice that she used earlier on.

 

“Niall,” he signaled to his blond friend, “stop the track.”

 

Harry got out of his seat as Niall stopped the music, and walked into the recording booth to speak with his artist.

 

“Why’d you stop the song?” she frowned, removing her headphones as Harry entered the small booth.

 

She had long, brown hair that cascaded down her back, and hazel-brown eyes that seemed innocent and wide. Her red lipstick was very bright and prominent on her lips, and her long skirt swayed with every slight movement she made. Her personality fit well with her music, which was one of the reasons why Harry signed her to his label.

 

“What are you doing in here?” he asked, his tone almost demanding. “You're not giving me enough of your voice in here, and it's showing.”

 

“I am giving you my best-”

 

“ _This_ is not your best,” he interrupted. “All those songs you were singing with that strong voice of yours that you had earlier- those were your best. This right here,” he said, implying the current song, “this is you being lazy.”

 

She kept quiet as her face hardened, not knowing how to respond to Harry’s criticism.

 

“Let me ask you something,” Harry sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers, “What were you thinking about when you wrote this song? What were your intentions?”

 

“I wanted this to be a song that sent a message… to let people know that… that they aren't alone and that they could overcome any bad thing that gets in their way.”

 

“You sound unsure,” he shook his head. He gently grabbed onto her shoulders and slightly ducked his head down just enough that he was eye level enough with her.

 

“Close your eyes,” Harry quietly demanded, repeating himself a second time after receiving an eye roll.

 

“I need you to go back, and I need you to think back to that very moment when you were in that hospital, sitting next to your mother on her deathbed. I need you to think back on all those emotions you felt as you held onto her hand as tightly as you could, watching the her as the life slowly faded from her eyes. Take all of those feelings and emotions you felt and bring them out in your voice and into this song. Can you that for me?”

 

He watched as she opened your eyes, and saw how her face nearly contorted into one of tears, her bottom lip quivering just the slightest. She took a deep breath and nodded at Harry, who finally stepped out of the recording booth after receiving her nod of affirmation.

 

“Start from the beginning,” he said to Niall as closed the door behind him and made his way over to the seat next to him.

 

Once the music started playing, they noticed a significant difference in her voice. She sounded even more powerful and emotional than she did before. Harry was proud, and it even showed on his face.

 

“I don't know what you said in there,” Niall began, his voice full of praise, “but she sounds fucking amazing.”

 

Harry nodded in agreement. He had a big feeling that she was huge breakthrough with this new record.

 

* * *

 

  
“You think he's our guy?” Niall asked, watching the street performer sing his heart out while simultaneously strumming his guitar.

They recognized him from social media after he did a cover of one of Niall’s very popular hits, which he produced on his own.

 

Harry adjusted his sunglasses before speaking, “He’s got a great voice, but I wanna hear a song that will not only dazzle the crowd, but me as well.”

 

They decided to finally take a day off together and hang out after their countless hours of working. The weather was warm, and the sun was out and shining brightly in the sky as they walked through the busy streets of New York City. Niall and Harry were both sporting sunglasses and an iced coffee in one hand as they stood off to the side to watch the street performer, who was packing up quite the crowd.

 

“Look at him,” Niall commented, taking a sip of his drink, “quite the eye catcher, don't you think?”

 

Harry rolled his eyes at Niall’s tone. Although it was true, the young man had nice auburn hair that was styled into a nice quiff, warm blue eyes, and a smile that dazzled the crowd, he wasn't here to worry about people for their looks, he was more about the talent.

 

“I'm gonna take a seat over there,” Harry said, pointing to a nearby restaurant that had outdoor seating. “Go in and order something good for the both of us.”

 

“Are you paying, then?” Niall asked, already knowing the awaited answer to his question.

 

“You've got money of your own, don't you? I’ll pay you back after you order. And hurry back, we've got some catching up to do.”

 

Niall raised his eyebrows in surprise, but said nothing more, only taking a sip of his iced coffee before entering the restaurant. After ordering a steak sub for the both of them, he waited a few more minutes for his food to arrive before he headed out back towards the small table Harry was waiting at.

 

“You know, as someone you've known for a long time, you never fail to treat me as your little butler whenever we hang out,” Niall chuckled, handing Harry his food before taking his own seat.

 

“Shut up. You know I value you and our friendship very dearly,” Harry playfully rolled his eyes at his blond friend.

 

“Oh stop it Harry, you're gonna make me cry,” he playfully wiped under his eyes, emitting a laugh from the both of them.

 

“It's been a while hasn't it? The last time we actually had time to hang out, just the two of us- it must've been a couple months since then?” Harry asked, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

 

“It’s been about two years, Harry,” Niall quietly reproached.

 

“Well shit,” Harry murmured. “I've been so caught up with work and the kids and...and-”

 

“And Louis,” Niall finished for him.

 

“And Louis,” Harry said quietly. “Louis is back,” he said after a long pause.

 

“So I've heard,” the blond replied, chewing on his sandwich.

 

“And you knew about it…” Harry said slowly, watching as Niall subtly averted his eyes.

 

“Did I?” He questioned. “How long have I known you compared to how long I've known Louis?”

 

“Practically since we were born,” Harry stated. “Which is why I want to know just why the hell did I have to meet Louis sitting at my desk in order for me to find out?”

 

Niall sighed, but didn't know how to reply to Harry's question. He could flaut out tell him the truth, but he knew that the other man would flip out easily if he knew, so he opted to stay quiet.

 

“Are we keep secrets from each other now? Is that what this is?” Harry scrutinized.

 

“Harry… that's not what it is at all. If you found out that Louis was being released earlier, you would've made sure that the kids wouldn't have found out. That's not what they need,” the blond man frowned.

 

“And who says I'm not doing the same thing now?”

 

“You can't keep Louis away from his kids, Harry. They've already met quite a few times, imagine how disappointed they'd be if they found out that Louis left their lives again because of you?”

 

“I have the right to try to protect my children, Niall. If I don't want Louis around them, then I'll be damned if I don't make that happen,” Harry argued.

 

“This is why I didn't want to tell you anything,” Niall sighed. “Imagine what your reaction would've been if we had told you earlier. You’re using your kids as an excuse to keep Louis away. You gotta give him a chance, Harry.”

 

“All those chances flew out the window the minute he left us behind,” Harry grumbled.

 

“You really fail at realizing things, H,” Niall said, shaking his head. “He’s not gonna leave again. You don't make the same mistake twice.”

 

“The third time's the charm,” Harry quietly said, leaving Niall confused at his minor confession. He didn't comment on it though, he knew that Harry would tell him sooner or later.

 

“The week before Louis left for jail,” Niall said, breaking the silence, “he called me and told me to meet up with him. I agreed, of course, because it was probably going to be the last time I saw him in a while. It was around three in the morning, and we met up at a twenty-four hour diner.”

 

“Why are you telling me this all of a sudden?” Harry asked, his lips slightly turned downwards.

 

“Just listen,” Niall chided, causing Harry to sit quietly and give Niall his full attention.

 

“We both ordered some coffee and split a plate of pancakes between us, and we talked like there was no tomorrow. I knew there was a reason why Louis called me over, but I didn't want to say anything yet. I didn't want to rush the short amount of time we had that night,” Niall looked over at Harry, making sure the other man was following along. Harry nodded at him, telling him to continue.

 

“We ran out of coffee after a while, so I called over the waitress and she took our cups away, along with the plate of pancakes we finished. He's the one who spoke first after she left, and I've never seen Tommo cry in my life, but that night he looked about ready to bawl his eyes out right then and there. He told me how scared he was, leaving you and the kids behind. He also told me that I should stick by your side and be your friend no matter what happened, because he knew that you'd be alone in all of this while he was gone. I think there was something else he wanted to tell me, but he was crying. He was crying Harry, and I think that _that_ was the night that it hit us, that we realized that this was real and that he was really going to jail for seventeen years.”

 

Harry felt a pang in his chest. He didn't know why, maybe it was because the thought of Louis crying his eyes out didn't sit too well with him. Either way, he wanted that feeling gone.

 

“I hugged him and I told him that I'd promise to do whatever he asked me to. All I want you to do is give him a chance. It's not the past anymore, you can forgive each other for your mistakes,” Niall said, his tone almost pleading.

 

“Have you seen him, then?” Harry asked, after a long moment of silence. He knew that Niall’s words might've been true, but the stubborn side of him didn't want to listen.

 

Niall sighed at the subject change, but knew that somewhere inside, Harry took his words into consideration.

 

“I've talked to him on the phone, and I've seen him in that mansion of his. He's changed.”

 

“What'd you guys talk about?” Harry curiously asked, taking a sip of his drink.

 

“Well aren't you just nosy?” Niall mocked, quirking an eyebrow.

 

“Fine, don't tell me,” Harry shrugged. “But now that Louis is back, I need to know what he's doing. Always.”

 

“And why is that?”

 

“He's been with the kids lately and I don't trust him one bit. Hang out with him if you must, but I need to know what he's doing at all times. Be natural around him, don't make yourself obvious or else he's gonna have a feeling that you're up to something.”

 

“It's sad that you don't trust him anymore,” Niall said quietly.

 

“I don't want to go through this again, Niall,” Harry sighed. “It's supposed to be our day to hang out, why'd you have to go and make the conversation about Louis now?”

 

“I just don't understand why you're being so stubborn, Harry. What did Louis do that was so bad that you have to go around and act like you hate him?”

 

“He fucking abandoned his kids, and- and you're asking me why I have the nerve to hate him? Do you know how they felt, Niall? _Do you know how I felt?_ ” Harry gritted his teeth in anger. Niall had no right going around and asking him all these invasive questions. He felt as if he were exposing himself, and he didn't enjoy it at all.

 

“What the hell did he do that made him abandon his family?” Niall asked, fed up with Harry's bullshit. “You keep whining about Louis leaving you, but you can't even explain what he did that landed him in prison for seventeen years!”

 

Harry stilled. His muscles tensed up, and his breathing went uneven. He could feel the anger building up inside him, and knew he had to keep himself calm before he caused attention towards themselves.

 

“I don't want to talk about it,” Harry gritted out.

 

“Oh, so we're keeping secrets from each other now?” Niall asked, using Harry's words from earlier.

 

“Don't use my own words against me,” Harry frowned.

 

“Why don't you want to tell me, Harry?” Niall sighed, gazing at his green eyed friend.

 

“Drop it, Niall,” Harry said, his tone still laced with anger, but with less intensity than before.

 

He felt bad for snapping at Niall, but he didn't want to relive events that happened in the past, nor did he enjoy them.

 

“Looks like the show’s almost done,” Niall said with a sad smile, getting up from his seat and collecting his trash to throw away.

 

“Niall-” Harry began, wanting to apologize, only to be cut off by his friend.

 

“Don't worry about it,” Niall shook his head, “it's okay,” he gave him a small smile.

 

Harry gathered his things as well, throwing his trash away in the garbage bin, striding over to Niall to catch up with him.

 

“Next meal’s on me,” Harry said, loosely swinging his arm around Niall, which emitted a small grin from the other man.

 

* * *

 

“Pam, how are you? What's on the agenda today? Walk with me,” Harry quickly said, waving his receptionist over to him.

 

“Mr. Styles,” she rushed out, her breathing slightly picking up as she quickly walked in her white heels to catch up to Harry. “You have three meetings today, and Travis Butler from Butler Records invited you out for lunch today. Mr. Styles- are you listening to me?”

 

“Cancel all my meetings, and tell Butler I'll catch up with him later. Today's an important day,” he replied, all while never turning back to look at Pam.

 

“Are you sure?” she asked, her voice frantic as she tried to catch up with Harry. “Mr. Styles, can you please slow down?” she said, feeling agitated at Harry's quickening pace.

 

“I'm afraid not, Pam. In about five minutes, I'm going to be making an announcement that will possibly change- well, everything,” he shrugged.

 

“Okay, so cancel your meetings, and tell Travis Butler to reschedule. Is there anything else?” she said, sighing resignedly as she wrote down all the information on her notepad.

 

“Tell my kids to meet me at my house tonight. I have some things I need to discuss with them,” he added as an afterthought.

 

“I'll get right on it. Good luck on your public announcement, sir,” she commended.

 

“Thank you, Pam. You never seem to fail me,” he sent a smile towards her.

 

Harry spent a few moments walking on before he reached the door that would lead him into the press room. He inhaled a deep amount of air, before exhaling, shaking away the small bunch of nerves he had in him. He looked down at his watch, watching the time tick by until it was finally time for him to enter the room.

 

“It's go time,” he whispered to himself, plastering a fake smile on his face as he walked into the room.

 

He was immediately met with the white flashes of cameras taking pictures of him as he waved, the plastic smile never leaving his face.

 

“Mr. Styles, over here!” a photographer waved, snapping some pictures of him as he faced the camera.

 

Harry had his hands together in praise as he thanked everyone for coming, before he finally addressed the issue at hand.

 

“May I have your attention please?” he asked, his question coming out more like a statement than an actual question.

 

“I know you all are wondering why I pulled you out from work for this meeting,” Harry began, “but I have some important news to share. I am proud to announce that from now on, _Styles Records_ will finally be recognized as a publicly traded company.”

 

His smile was genuine as he heard the claps and small cheers of the people in the room.

 

“So what does that mean for the company now that it's publicly traded?”

 

“Well-” Harry began, only to be interrupted by another person.

 

“Don't forget my $400,000 that started this whole thing,” the voice sniped.

 

The room went silent, until someone spoke up and asked, “Who are you?”

 

“Tell them who I am, Harry,” he demanded.

 

“Louis,” Harry said, a cold tone on the edge of his tongue as a strained, plastic smile stretched on his face from the sudden intrusion. He walked towards Louis and harshly pulled the blue eyed man by the waist so that his back was pressed against Harry’s chest.

 

“What the fuck do you think you're doing?” Harry angrily whispered in Louis’ ear.

 

Louis, who was clad in his ever-so-expensive navy blue suit, felt slightly shocked at the sudden movement, but made sure not to let it show on his face.

 

“I'm letting the people know who the rightful owner of this business is, Harry,” he quietly said, smiling sweetly at the curious faces that spread throughout the room.

 

“Meeting dismissed,” Harry announced, an unreadable expression making its way onto his face, “I’ll send you all the details via email. Have a good day.”

 

They began to interject, but Harry was having none of it.

 

“Thomas, if you could please escort them out…” he gestured towards the security guard near the door. The man gave Harry a nod before calmly leading the room of fifty out, closing the door behind him after the last reporter left.

 

Harry and Louis were left with an uncomfortable atmosphere that they didn't particularly know how to deal with. While Harry was trying to keep himself from lashing out at Louis, Louis sat directly on the large table that was placed directly in the middle of the room. He couldn't care less about the fact that the table cost a fortune, since he considered everything in the building to be his anyway.

 

“When are you going to finally open up your eyes and see the truth? You would be _nothing_ without me, Harry. I'm not making up these things for my own sake, I've got better things to worry about,” Louis spoke up.

 

“You come into _my_ business,” Harry began, his voice eerily quiet, but every word felt loud and clear to Louis. “You come here, thinking you can waltz wherever you want, whenever you want, disrupting my business and employees only because we have some sort of _thing_ from the past. When are you going to grow up?” he asked, his tone harsh as he slowly circled the room, trying to keep himself calm.

 

“That _thing_ from the past is our marriage and our fucking children,” Louis spat. “And the only one who needs to grow up is _you_.”

 

“Oh Louis,” Harry shook his head, “17 years later and you're still so naive. How'd jail treat you, by the way? I can't imagine what you've been through,” he pouted, his tone anything but sincere.

 

“Funny how you care now, but didn't all those times I called for you in jail, and _not once_ did you even visit or call me back. I was the only one who suffered through all this, while _you_ created a multimillion dollar business, forgetting the person who helped you with everything along the way. I want what's mine, Harry,” he demanded.

 

“Now that's where you're wrong, dear Louis, because you weren't the only one suffering all those seventeen years. Quinten, Adrianna, Greyson, _Harry_? Do those names ring a bell?” he pressed.

 

“Harry does ring a bell,” Louis harshly said, “he's the one who landed me in this mess in the first place.”

 

“Now, now,” Harry lightly scolded, “don't go blaming everything on me, Prince. We did everything together. It was a team effort between you and I,” he said, gesturing between the both of them.

 

“If it was a ‘team effort’ like you said, then why am I still walking around in circles, continuously demanding the same thing from you _over and over again?”_

 

“Tell you what,” Harry propositioned, “I'll get you anything you want, since it seems like you just don't know what the meaning of ‘no’ is.”

 

“What's the catch?” Louis asked, uncertainty full in his voice.

 

Louis knew that there was something underlying in Harry's words, something that could just possibly fuck him over if he didn’t check to make sure that every detail suited to his liking.

 

“There’s no catch,” Harry chuckled, “just tell me what you want and I’ll try my best to get it for you.”

 

Louis pondered over his words for a minute more, before finally being able to decide on what he wanted. If Harry couldn’t give it to him, then he’d just have to take matters into his own hands.

 

“Here’s what I want,” Louis smirked, leaning on his hands as he moved his body closer towards Harry, “I want $30 million a year, and I want to be head of A&R. Go ahead and give me fifty percent of my company back while you’re at it.”

 

“Starting out at 30 million, that’s a high price. I don’t think the board will accept that,” Harry said, shaking his head disapprovingly.

 

“I don’t give a damn what the board says. You run this thing, you better find some way to get me my money, Harry,” Louis snapped.

 

“I don’t mind having security kick you out for good if you carry on with that attitude of yours,” he shrugged, his tone nonchalant, but Louis knew just how serious he was being.

 

If it were up to him, he’d reply with a snarky retort, maybe something that would rile Harry up in the most slightest. He knew that there was no use to it, since Harry had this uncaring air about him that seemed like nothing phased him anymore, but he knew better than to have Harry speak to him like he was some sort of- child. He kept himself quiet though, because arguing with the man would not get him what he came for.

“I also can’t give you the title of A&R,” Harry said slowly, “I’ve already got someone for that.”

 

“Who could it possibly be?” Louis asked, rolling eyes. “Let me guess, it’s your little play thing, isn’t it? That little doll you have that took my title as CEO?”

 

Harry only stared at him, his silence clearly giving the answer away. Louis rubbed his hands up and down on his thighs to keep himself calm. To say that he was unsatisfied would be an understatement. He could deal with having his company taken away from him- he’s suffered the consequences enough. But to have Harry take away the one title he had the highest hope for? He wasn’t going to let that one slide away so easily.

 

“Fire her and promote me instead. She’s already got the oh-so-famous Harry Styles as her own provider, what more could she need?” Louis smirked, leaning forward.

 

“It’s reasons like these, Louis, where I despise being in the same room as you,” Harry spoke, his tone filled with nothing but disdain for the man sitting in front of him.

 

“Do something about her, hell- demote her if you need to, or else I’m gonna have to step up and take care of things myself,” Louis declared pointedly, hopping off the table and never turning back as he walked out of the room, “You’re not sweeping me under the rug this time, Styles.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this chapter was gonna be longer but i think it ended out okay? i kinda wanted to give y'all something long,,,,
> 
> * this fic is going on a little hiatus. just a lil tiny one. a smol one, if u will. im no where near done with this fic yet but im gonna take a lil break away from it, i hope yall understand. in the mean time u can find me here on tumblr if u ever wanna keep up or talk or ask me anything. thanks for reading, as always. x *


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i suck.

It was only a matter of time before Harry arrived home to see his children waiting for him in his large living room. They had no idea what he had them there for, but he sees them sitting apart from each other, each of them quietly keeping to themselves. Quinten and Adrianna were quietly talking amongst themselves while Greyson was texting away on his phone on the sofa farthest away from them. 

 

_ “Of course,”  _ Harry internally rolled his eyes as he glanced at his youngest when he walked in the room. 

 

“Sorry I took so long,” Harry greeted, giving his kids each a quick hug before sitting down, “I got held up at the office with a few clients. How are you all? I know you might be curious as to why I invited you all here in the first place,” he assessed them. 

 

He heard Quinten murmur a small “Hey”, followed by Greyson’s small distracted wave and Adrianna’s small grin. 

He noticed that each of their eyes were on him, waiting for him to continue. They hadn’t said anything yet, which was a first (seeing as these were  _ his children _ ), but he carried on nonetheless. 

 

“It’s not easy for me to say this, but… I’m going to be stepping down as head of the record label soon,” he paused, hearing a small gasp from beside him, which he figured was Adrianna. 

 

“But- why?” she interrupted him. Her father was still young and healthy as far as she could see, which meant that he was still able to work until it was time for him to retire. She didn’t know why he decided to step down at a time like  _ this _ . 

 

“I feel that the time is...right,” he said, watching his words carefully, “You guys are adults now, and while I’m not an old man either, I’m not going to be taking over this company in the long run. That’s why one of you has to step in.”

 

“It’s gonna be me right? I mean- obviously. I’m the only one out of the three of us that actually went to college for business management,” Adrianna inquired. 

 

She heard a snort from Greyson, but made no move to entertain him. Now of all moments just wasn’t the right time. 

 

“I’m not going to choose based on brains or beauty. I want you to  _ prove  _ to me that you’ve got what it takes. It takes a hard worker and a person with the thickest skin to be able to even work in this industry, and I can’t just foolishly pass this title down to anyone without risking it.”

 

“This has to be a joke,” Quinten scoffed, “how are you even going to decide on who you’re going to choose? You’re just gonna watch the paps chase us and watch what the media says about our image, and then laugh at us once we realize that this is slowly gonna become a competition. Is that what you want? A competition between your own children?”

 

He was slowly getting worked up, but stopped himself because he knew that the more worked up he got, the more his father would start to get angry. 

 

“You were always so keen on being quick to judge even the smallest of subjects,  _ Quin, _ ” Harry retorted, his steely green eyes never wavering away from his son’s angry glare.

 

Quinten flinched at the nickname, hoping that it went unnoticed to the others in the room. He didn’t know why his father regarded him in such a cold manner, but he knew he was onto something. He wasn’t going to back down from something so strongly he believed in; something that could impact their relationship if he didn’t do anything about it now. 

 

“Now,” Harry said, turning his gaze away from an angry Quinten. He would have to deal with his stubborn son later. “The plan from now on is quite simple; nothing over the top or out of the ordinary. I’ll call one of you to discuss some issues you think we have within the company- ones that I could go over with my team. If they think those issues are demanding enough to deal with, then you’ll be brought into the next meeting, and so on. Make sure that your issues are important enough for me to have dealt with, I want to make sure that each of you get a chance to attend a few meetings to get the feel of what it means to be part of the team.”

 

He saw them mulling over his plan, before receiving a nod from Greyson and Adrianna. He felt a ghost of a smile play on his lips because he knew that his youngest probably didn’t have a clue about what was going on, but nodded his head anyway just to seem as if he did. And while he didn’t look over at Quinten to see what his response was, he knew the boy was glaring daggers into his head, not wanting to budge from the fact that he was still quite annoyed with his father.

 

“ _ Just like his father,”  _ Harry mused, erasing the thought from his head just as quickly as it came.

 

“If that’s all you have for us today,” Quinten stood up, grabbing his keys and his phone from his pocket, “then I’ll be on my way.” 

 

“Not so fast,” Harry interrupted. “Adrianna, Greyson, you guys should go out for a bit. I need to talk to your brother here,” he said waving them off as if to dismiss them. The siblings could do nothing other than to look at their brother before looking at each other, both of them having similar thoughts running in their heads. Adrianna led her brother out the door, closing the door behind them.

 

“What’s your deal, son?” Harry sighed, closing his eyes as he rested his chin on his knuckles.

 

“Where do I even start,” Quinten scoffed, standing a few feet away from his father who was sat comfortably on the sofa, “maybe I should go with the fact that you’re using your own children to make  _ your  _ company successful. You’re throwing Greyson into this whole mess and the kid’s barely 18 years old! Just what the hell do you think you’re doing here, dad?”

 

“I’m doing what I see fit for everyone. Greyson is mature enough to learn how to deal with this industry through first hand experiences. I’d rather that for him than for him to just be thrown into this mess with no experience whatsoever.”

 

“We were all thrown into this mess the second your mind turned into greed for money, and money only. You threw away your marriage and now you’re using your children, just so   _ you  _ can benefit from it. At the end of the day, you’re not preparing us for shit. You’re just throwing us into this mess so that your company can flourish and your pockets get heavy,” Quinten ranted, letting all his pent up anger get the best of him.

 

“You need to keep yourself out of business you have no need getting into, kid. Whatever happened with Louis and I was all in the past. If you didn’t like the plan I pitched to you three earlier, you should’ve said something about it instead of waiting until after your brother and sister left,” Harry calmly addressed his displeased son. 

 

He could see why his son was angry, and he understood why. But Harry wasn’t stupid; he knew what he wanted for his children. He just didn’t appreciate the fact that his son liked to ‘correct’ him at every chance he got, trying his best to call Harry out for anything and everything he did. His son still held a grudge towards him for his past mistakes, which is why he so highly critiqued Harry on every idea that came out of him.  

 

“No matter what you say or do,” Quentin quietly said, his voice full with acidity, “it still won’t change the fact that Louis is my father. It won’t change the fact that you two had history together, and that you’re the reason why he wasn’t able to be in my life when I needed him the most. Without him, you would never be where you are today, and I’ll never forgive you for the way you treat him; as if he was  _ garbage _ . You let the fame get to you, and now you don’t even know the difference between your own children, and your employees.” 

 

Harry could only sit back in mild shock as he watched his son storm out of the room without another word, hearing the door being slammed loudly as he was left alone with only his thoughts, and the words his son said floating through his mind. He could’ve tried to get his son to calm down enough to listen to him, but it would’ve been no use. Anything he could’ve tried to say to Quinten would’ve floated through one ear and out through another. His son had truly lost all his respect towards his own father, and Harry didn’t know if he could ever erase that alarming thought away from his mind.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


“Harry. Edward. Styles. Get your ass down here  _ right now,  _ or so help me God…,” Louis seethed, storming into his home without a care in the world that it was nearing ten o’clock in the evening. 

 

He waited a few seconds, tapping his foot impatiently before he decided that stomping up the stairs was a much better approach, which he gladly did. He was faced with a long narrow hallway that was lined with many paintings on the wall. Louis would’ve taken his time to admire each of them, had it not been for the fact that he was completely  _ seething  _ with anger.

 

He stormed into the only door in that particular hallway, which ended up being the largest room in the whole mansion. There Harry was, typing away on his laptop as the tv on the wall played softly in the background. Louis advanced towards the large bed he saw Harry laying in, and closed his laptop shut. He angrily ripped the large covers away from the man’s body, taking a moment to notice that Harry was shirtless and adorned in nothing but his plaid pajama bottoms. His body was littered with a few more tattoos than Louis remembered, but he didn’t have time to consider them all since his attention was directed towards the man who somehow managed to capture both of his hands in his. 

 

“Who the fuck let you into my house,  _ Louis _ ?” The green eyed man regarded him coldly. He angled his body towards Louis, his arm never wavering from the small movement. “What the fuck made you think you could just storm in here, as if you owned this place?”

 

“Let me go, Harry,” Louis bristled, tugging his arms away from the green eyed man, but with no avail. “I’m about two seconds away from fucking punching you in the stomach. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

 

“What’s wrong with  _ me _ ? Did you forget the fact that you just let yourself into my house-”

 

“That’s not what I mean, Styles,” Louis interjected, “why the fuck did Quinten come to me today, looking like he was about to cry? What the hell did you tell him?”   
  


The only words that Harry could think of were  _ ‘Oh’,  _ which were the exact words that involuntarily slipped out of his mouth.

 

“ _ Oh _ ? Is that all you have to say for yourself? Your child comes into my home, obviously upset about something that  _ you  _ told him, and all you have to say is ‘ _ Oh’ _ ?” Louis interrogated, wrenching his hands away from the green eyed man’s tight grasp. He was tired, and extremely angry, and the fact that Harry was giving him short-handed responses had only made him even angrier. 

 

“What the fuck did you tell him, Styles?” Louis repeated, jabbing his finger roughly into Harry’s shoulder with every word. 

 

“What I told him,” Harry began, slipping off his bed and stalking towards Louis like an animal hunting for its’ prey, “well; it’s pretty simple. I had the kids over for a quick discussion, and they left. Adrianna and Greyson left, actually. I made your little ‘precious baby Quin’ stay back ‘cause he had a hell of an attitude during my little… ‘proposition’, if you will.”

 

He realized that he had slowly cornered Louis into the back of his bedroom, the blue eyed man standing with his back flushed against the wall. His eyes scrutinized Louis’ face, noticing how his eyes were lightly shut, as if opening them could reveal everything he had within him. Little, quick tufts of air came out of him, and his hands were pressed tightly at his sides. Harry’s fingers clasped themselves on each side of Louis’ waist, and the situation was so ridiculous to Harry that he wanted to laugh.

 

Which is exactly what he did.

 

He tucked his face into Louis’ neck and breathed out a small chuckle, which, unbeknownst to Harry, sent electrifying shivers down Louis’ spine. The blue eyed man needed to grasp onto something, because the wall wasn’t doing him justice. He opted for playing with Harry’s hair instead, noticing how the slight curls at the end of his hair bounced every so slightly when they were tugged. 

 

“You’re fucking ridiculous,” Harry sighed. “You barge into my house, curse me out- you probably passed through my security too, didn’t you?”

 

“You need better security,” Louis snipped.

 

“Feisty,” Harry smirked, nipping at Louis’ neck. 

 

The blue eyed man rolled his eyes at Harry’s antics. 

 

“What was the proposition?” Louis gritted, trying his best to distract himself from Harry’s soft lips that were moving across his neck.

 

“I told them that I was stepping down from the company, and that I wanted one of them to take over. AJ thought that I should give it to her instead of the boys cause she went to college for business management. Quinten thinks I’m setting up some sort of competition between the three of them, and Grey probably doesn’t even know what the hell is going on,” Harry sighed. He’d hate to admit it, but the feeling of Louis’ hand playing with his hair was a foreign feeling he felt himself seeking comfort in. 

 

“Why are you throwing Greyson into this mess, Styles?” Louis queried, gripping his hair tighter, “Do you want your children to to end up hating you?”

 

“They already hate me, love.”

 

“Of course, I raised them right,” the blue eyed man hummed.

 

“You hardly raised them at all,” Harry mumbled into his neck. Louis tightened his grip and pulled his head upwards, forcing Harry to look him directly in the eyes.

 

“Don’t even try it, Harry. Not tonight.” 

 

He could see the green eyed man staring intensely at him, occasionally wincing at the slight pain he felt from Louis pulling his hair so tightly. 

 

“Why do you always feel the need to bring up the past every single time I see you?” Louis asked, his voice sounding slightly subdued. 

 

“Because everytime I see you, I can’t help but see a man who’s decided to waltz back into his children’s lives after 17 years of not being there.”

 

“Has the fame gotten so stuck into your head that you’ve forgotten the reason I even went to prison in the first place? Everything I did during our marriage was for you, Harry. Every. Fucking. Thing,” Louis emphasized, releasing the man’s hair from his tight grasp. He moved away from the man and walked over to the mini bar near the television, swiping a bottle of wine from the fridge to pour himself a glass. He saw the man getting ready to interject, and took a sip from his glass of wine as he waited for Harry’s bullshit response.

 

“I’ve thanked you, haven’t I? I let you have your own office, and I haven’t stopped you from seeing the kids yet.”

 

“Harry, our kids are adults, for goodness sakes. You can’t control who they can or can’t see,” Louis replied, sounding exasperated. 

 

“I do it because I want to protect them,” Harry retorted, his eyes following Louis’ every movement as he took yet another sip of his wine, “besides, you didn’t come here to disturb me just so that we could reminisce about the past. You got what you wanted from me, now leave.”

 

“Sounds rich, coming from a guy who was just kissing up and down my neck only a minute ago,” the blue eyed man snarkily replied. “Where is she anyway, that doll of yours?” he asked uninterestedly.

 

He rolled his eyes and ran a quick hand through his hair. “ _ Taylor  _ is out for business purposes,” Harry quipped, “it’s nothing you needed to know, anyway.”   
  


“Of course I needed to know. I couldn’t just walk around and let her bank supply do whatever he wanted with whoever he wanted without being aware of where she was.”

 

“I’m not interested in doing anything with you, if that’s what you were implying,” Harry snorted, grabbing another glass from his mini bar to grab himself a drink. He hadn’t planned on doing so at first, but being around Louis had always made him feel angry and tense, and wine was the best choice for him at the moment, seeing as he didn’t want to smoke with the blue eyed man around. “And as I’ve said before, she’s a hardworking woman who knows how to take care of a business. That’s how she’s making her pay.” 

 

“She’s a so-called ‘hardworking’ woman who’s making money out of  _ my  _ business, Harry. She’s taking money out of  _ my  _ hard work, if anything.”

 

“The company isn’t yours, love. You may have donated to making it at first, but the past 17 years have all come from  _ my  _ blood, sweat, and tears. You’re just here cruising along,” Harry grunted, not caring about the impact his words made on Louis.

 

“You barely know how to manage this company yourself, and now you think that letting some blonde headed chick manage it is better than letting  _ me,  _ the father to  _ your children,  _ take over? And now you want to throw the kids into this as well? I want what’s mine, Harry. I’m getting real sick and tired of your bullshit now.” 

 

“I’d rather her over you. You’ve barely done shit in the past few weeks you’ve been here Louis. You think lounging around and bothering my employees is what’s gonna have me ‘magically’ hand over a whole business to you? Think again,” Harry reproached.

 

Louis frowned. It was nearing 11:30 that night, and he was feeling drowsy from the alcohol and from how sleepy he was getting. He didn’t realize that he’d left his chauffeur outside for over an hour, and wanted to hurry up and get home so that they could both get some rest. He didn’t feel like arguing with Harry any longer, but he felt a newfound surge of ambition take over him as he finished off his wine.

 

"I want my damn company back," Louis demanded as he sauntered over to Harry, his finger prodding at his chest with every word, "and I'm going to get it, no matter what."

Harry’s gaze stayed on Louis’ figure as he took a sip of his drink. A small smirk played on his lips as he replied to Louis’ request.

"Just what makes you think that I would give up my whole company, this whole empire  _ I’ve  _ built up from scratch- just what makes you think I’d give everything up,  _ to you _ ?"

"You don't think I'd be able to take back what's mine?" Louis pressed, before he turned away and headed towards the door, adding an extra sway to his hips as he walked away.

"Just fucking watch me, Styles.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did this chapter even make sense.... i feel like it didn't. i'll come back to edit it at another time, nothing too major though. anyway i hope you enjoyed my mess, i appreciate all the kudos and comments x.

**Author's Note:**

> im @ insomeniax on tumblr if you guys ever just wanna shoot me a message or talk :)


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